Can a 2 years old enjoy a movie in a theater?

#1

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3/14/03 at 1:15pm

Holadem
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Well, almost 2 years old.

The Lion King IMAX thingie is playing right now and I was thinking a taking the little gal but I am concerned, is it too early? Will she be scared by the huge moving images and the booming sound or will she enjoy herself?

Of course, I would have enough courtesy to exit if she got noisy...

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Holadem

#2

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3/14/03 at 1:22pm

D. Scott MacDonald
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It's risky. I think my son was able to enjoy Shrek at just over 2, but he didn't sit entirely still the entire time (I was at a private showing where young kids and their vearious behaviors were allowed).

Scott

#3

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3/14/03 at 1:26pm

Thi Them
FunkyThi
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Does she enjoy watching movies or cartoons at home?

~T

#4

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3/14/03 at 1:33pm

Holadem
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She loves the Sesame St stuff. I don't know about cartoons. She has never experienced my HT either. Long story.

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Holadem

#5

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3/14/03 at 1:35pm

D. Scott MacDonald
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Quote:

Does she enjoy watching movies or cartoons at home?

A better question would be "Can she sit still to watch two hours of movies or cartoons at home".

Scott

#6

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3/14/03 at 1:48pm

Michael Mathius
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I took my two year old to see Spiderman during an afternoon screening. She sat throw it without any problem. This movie plays on my projector more than any other movie in my collection because it's her favorite.

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#7

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3/14/03 at 1:59pm

D. Scott MacDonald
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I'm going to change my answer. Can a 2 year old sit through a movie? Absolutely. The problem is that you can't really know how YOUR 2 year old will do, so there's no real harm in taking her as long as you can afford it and as long as you are prepared to leave if she doesn't like it (this is a real possibility). It might help to bring some small snack (cheerios, popcorn, etc.) to help her settle down.

Scott

#8

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3/14/03 at 2:01pm

KyleS
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My son is 15 months and he can sit through about half of Shrek or Bugs Life before he gets impatient. I think probably about the age of 3 he should be entertained for the entire movie.

He loves Sesamee St too especially Elmo's World. He goes nuts everytime this comes on and will sit through all of it.

Best of luck

KyleS

#9

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3/14/03 at 3:09pm

Richard Travale
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a resounding NO!!!
a two year old's ears are far too sensitive. The levels that she will be experiencing could very well do permanent damage.

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- Frank Sinatra

#10

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3/14/03 at 3:52pm

Angelo.M
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If you insist on bringing a 2-year-old to a movie theater, you might want to find out if any theaters in your area offer 'kid-friendly' showings. I know of some theaters that set aside certain nights/showtimes wherein parents can bring young children, and don't have to worry about the children making noise or being disruptive.

That being said, I've never taken my 2-year-old daughter to a theater. She's happy enough watching her DVDs at home. And she's usually good for most of Little Mermaid, Lilo and Stitch, Monsters Inc., Wizard of Oz, etc...

#11

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3/14/03 at 4:43pm

Robert_Z
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Well, I hope she does, because if she does not, then I bet nobody will.

Let me be the 1st to strongly encourage you to leave the kiddies at home. I don't go to theaters any more, but when I did, anytime there was a disturbance, it was always some baby/little kid crying or yapping. You said you would leave if she got noisy. Well, I sure hope you would do it the instant she starts acting up.

The socially responsible thing to do is leave the kids with a sitter or wait for the movie to be released on DVD/VHS.

Yes that is a pretty hard line, but come on, have a little courtesy. I know your kid(s) are probably cute, but I would wager that nobody else in that theater wants to hear a child's tantrum halfway through a good movie, especially after having spent at least $20 on tickets and snacks.

Of course I don't have kids, but I am many times an uncle, and I would never want to have any of those rugrats in the theater with me or anyone else. Too much of a risk for wah-wah-wah.

#12

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3/14/03 at 5:31pm

Jason_Els
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I would expect an animated film to have a theater full of children doing all sorts of child-like things. For Disney movies and other animated children's films I, as a theater-goer, completely expect to see and hear children and expect that not all of them will be able to be perfect the whole time. That is something that I, as an adult, have to adjust to. No way could I go to see the Lion King and be upset by crying or shouting or talking or flying popcorn or throwing-up or running around and bouncing in the chairs or all the other things kids are wont to do. We ask kids to be adults at adult films where (frequently) they do not belong, I think it only fitting that we let the kids act like kids for their movies.

If I want a quiet place to view a children's movie then I watch it at home.

I hope the children who go to this screening will have a wonderful, magical time that they will remember their whole lives.

Is 2 old enough? Maybe. I'll go with everyone above saying it depends on the child. Some can, some can't.

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#13

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3/14/03 at 5:56pm

Carl Miller
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I'm with Richard on questioning whether that level of volume is safe for a child that young.

Robert, I understand your point and would agree if we were talking about a movie made for adults. But this is the Lion King, and it's perfectly reasonable and not at all discourteous to bring children to that movie.

Carl

#14

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3/15/03 at 3:42pm

PatrickM
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I brought my oldest son to his first movie theater experience a few weeks ago when Jungle Book 2 came out. He's almost 3 1/2 and I figured it was about the earliest I could have brought him due to his attention span. He did well and next week we get to see Piglet's Big Movie. Man, I'm going to see these things and the last movie I got to see in the theater was Two Towers.

Patrick

#15

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3/15/03 at 6:31pm

Robert_Z
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Quote:

Robert, I understand your point and would agree if we were talking about a movie made for adults. But this is the Lion King, and it's perfectly reasonable and not at all discourteous to bring children to that movie.

So true. Yeah, for kiddie movies, of course it's not a problem...but don't take the kids to a grown up movie. Sorry for missing that detail earlier.

#16

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3/16/03 at 6:58am

David Susilo
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I agree with Richard, the SPL in the movie theatre WILL PERMANENTLY DAMAGE the hearing of younger kids

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#17

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3/16/03 at 8:24am

Peter Apruzzese
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If she hasn't yet been to a theatre for a film, I wouldn't start her out with an IMAX presentation. As the others have noted, it's going to be far too loud (and big) for her and she will probably end up miserable (and scared) from the experience. And if she does get scared, she *won't* want to go to any theatre to see another movie - she'll think that they'll all be like the first one. You might be better off with something calming like the new "Piglet" movie at your local multiplex during a bargain matinee to get her used to the experience. I did the same with my son when he was that age. Due to my job at the time, I had the chance to take him to a private showing of Willy Wonka back in 1996, it was the first movie he ever saw theatrically. Since it wasn't a public show (and he'd seen it on video), I thought that was the ideal way to break him in. If he had trouble, it was no great loss to leave the theatre for a few minutes (which we did when he got a little frightened by Mr. Slugworth). He's loved going to the movies ever since - though very loud movies still bother his hearing, and he's 8 now.

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#18

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3/16/03 at 6:25pm

Neil Joseph
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I can remember when I took my 2 year old son, now 6, to the cinema. He threw his juicy cup about 5 rows ahead of our row. It was a little rough as I had to hold him most of the time. Their attention span is not as long as a 3 year old. However, it is possible.

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#19

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3/16/03 at 8:35pm

Malcolm R
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I think 2 is too young. My cousin took her 3 year old to his first movie this past summer ("Veggietales"). That seemed about the right age, as long as it's a kid's movie.

His attention span was developed enough that he watched the whole movie, but he was still a little sketchy on the issue of movie etiquette (i.e. talking (and in a soft voice)).

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#20

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3/17/03 at 5:38am

Holadem
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OK, I will wait a few more months

Seriously, if there is any risk at all of a traumatic experience then it's out for now and hearing damage as I suspected, then it's out for now.

Thanks!

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Holadem

#21

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3/17/03 at 6:04am

Hartwig Hanser
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My son is 2 and 1/2 and he has never seen anything more than a few Mickey Mouse cartoons. I am convinced that no kid that age is capable to follow a story over more than ten to twenty minutes. It may sit still before the screen, but just because it is fascinated by the colourful moving pictures. In my opinion not only the ears are endangered in a movie theater, the brain is even more because of information overload that it cannot process. When I see people showing their 2 and 3 year olds movies like Monsters Inc, Spiderman or Star Wars, I do not wonder anymore about things like hyperactivity syndrome or unusual aggressiveness in children. Please be careful, what you do to your children!

By the way, I am editor in a neuroscience magazin and have a quite good idea of what today´s neuroscientists know about the brain development in kids, and this backs my opinions.

#22

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3/17/03 at 9:10am

Jerry Almeida
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I just took my daughter (she'll be 3 in June) to see The Jungle Book 2 at the theater. We went on a weekday and we saw the noon show. We were the only ones in the theater. I think she did a pretty good job. She didn't sit through the entire show, I think an hour and a half is a long time to ask a two year old to sit and pay attention. She would stand up and play with her seat occasionally and play the I want to sit on your lap, now I want to sit back in my chair game. That was about as bad as it got. The good thing about The Jungle Book is that as soon as a musical sequence would start, that would grab her attention and she would sit still again.

This was her second experience at the theater, the first was Lilo and Stitch. My wife took her to that one. Again on a weekday.

Everybody relax, I'm here. -Jack Burton

#23

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3/17/03 at 9:42am

Ryan Wright
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Quote:

For Disney movies and other animated children's films I, as a theater-goer, completely expect to see and hear children and expect that not all of them will be able to be perfect the whole time.

I agree with this 100%.

Usually, I am the biggest and most outspoken critic of people who bring their children to the theater. However, if you're going to see a children's movie, then - duh! - there are going to be children there, and they'll be behaving like - duh! - children!

So if someone says "I want to take my child to see The Lion King", assuming the child's mind and body are ready for the experience, I say "have fun." Any adult who gets upset because there are children sharing the theater to watch an animated, G rated film needs to lighten up.

Now, I do have one major issue, and that is our standards for acceptable behavior have gone to hell. Let's use a children's movie in a theater as an example. Throwing things (popcorn, cups, etc), yelling/screaming/crying, running around the theater, etc goes on. And it is tolerated because "they're children."

My daughter has never done any of these things. She knows better. Why can't other parents teach their children simple manners?

We have to let our children be children, so there are some things I would expect to see at a children's movie: I expect them to talk at inappropriate times. Children love to ask questions and rarely have the patience to wait until the end of the movie. I expect them to be a little loud the first few times they talk until their parents say, "Shhh...". Then I expect them to whisper loudly. I expect them to get up to go to the bathroom during the movie. I expect them to eat their popcorn loudly and slurp the last drop out of their drinks, then slurp it again and again to make sure they aren't missing out on anything. I expect them to fidget in their seats and play the "lap game" (see post above). They're children, afterall.

But I do NOT want to see them running up and down the isles, yelling, throwing things, etc. That is "time for a spankin'" behavior, not "oh, it's ok, they're children" behavior.

-Ryan (http://www.ryanwright.com )
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#24

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3/17/03 at 12:05pm

John Miles
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Quote:

...the brain is even more (vulnerable) because of information overload that it cannot process.

Do you have any rational scientific basis for that assertion, or is it pure speculation on your part?

Quote:

When I see people showing their 2 and 3 year olds movies like Monsters Inc, Spiderman or Star Wars, I do not wonder anymore about things like hyperactivity syndrome or unusual aggressiveness in children. Please be careful, what you do to your children!

When I see statistics showing the overall downward trend in juvenile violence and criminality that began around the time Nolan Bushnell first unleashed 'Pong' on the world, I really DO start to wonder how researchers can apply for funding to demonstrate the opposite effect with a straight face.

#25

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3/18/03 at 12:51am

Hartwig Hanser
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Quote:

Do you have any rational scientific basis for that assertion, or is it pure speculation on your part?

Well, I wrote "in my opinion". It is a conclusion I draw from 1) observation of kids in the range of 2 to 4. I frequently found kids to be more itchy, demanding and tense after prolonged viewing of television than after a similar time playing outside in the playing ground for example.

and 2) from scientific studies showing that the attention span in this age does not support the following of a storyline of more than 1 hour. Next time a 2-3 year old kid sees a complete Disney movie, ask him/her afterward to tell you the story. I am sure you will only hear some short segments that were particularly impressive, but the story as a whole will be lost for the kid.

Quote:

When I see statistics showing the overall downward trend in juvenile violence and criminality that began around the time Nolan Bushnell first unleashed 'Pong' on the world, I really DO start to wonder how researchers can apply for funding to demonstrate the opposite effect with a straight face.

Interesting link. its nice to hear good news for a change. Of course the article deals only with official crime statistics. These are subject to a lot of other variables, like degree of law enforcement, legislation, accepted moral standards only to name a few.
My comment was more directed towards the behaviour tendencies of SOME kids: hyperactive, short attention span, aggressiveness. This is more something of a psychological than a criminal problem, althought it could surmount to that.

#26

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3/18/03 at 12:55am

Hartwig Hanser
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I just found a study, in which 875 kids were observed over 21 years. Those that had looked at very much violence in TV at an age of 8 years, were more prone to be arrested lated.

This is not exactly the situation we discuss, but this and a lot more studies show that external influences have the power to form the brain and therefore the behaviour.

This is, what I meant with my warning, to be careful what and how much you let your children watch.

#27

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5/31/03 at 7:11pm

Holadem
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WooHooo!!!

I did it today, and it worked! Well, somewhat, we had to live 30 min into the movie

We got in the room half an hour before the show started. She was fascinated for a while with the screen quizzes and some the previews, but by the time the movie started, she was largely uninterested... At about the 20 minutes mark, she was pointing to the stroller and the exit. She wouldn't stay in her seat, and wanted out.

Finding Nemo it was. Some of the loud noises did scare her a bit, but nothing very dramatic. We left in the middle of the whole shark thing.

Anyway, I was succesful in getting a refund, thanks to a very understanding manager. In all, a good day

To anyone who might be wondering what the big deal is, I will say this: the things we take for granted sometimes...

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Holadem

#28

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5/31/03 at 7:49pm

MikeAlletto
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Quote:

I just found a study, in which 875 kids were observed over 21 years. Those that had looked at very much violence in TV at an age of 8 years, were more prone to be arrested lated.

The thing about those studies is they stop and blame it on tv violence instead of looking at ALL the influences on a child during those 21 years. The conclusion was already made before the end of the study.

Michael Alletto

#29

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5/31/03 at 8:06pm

Todd Hochard
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I took my daughter (turned two this month) to see Finding Nemo today- her first movie (at the theater). It was great. She's particularly attentive, and very able to follow a storyline, for her age, so I wasn't concerned. I was concerned that the sound might be too loud, but have no fear- the theater anticipated many small kids, and the sound was not as high as it would otherwise be.

It was fun to watch here marvel at the giant screen, and it was great to watch her "Oh no! Where's Nemo?" when he was taken at the beginning. She fell asleep about 40 minutes in (alas, the 12:00 start messed with her 1:00 nap

), and awoke at the credits when "Somewhere Beyond the Sea" began playing (we've been dancing around the house to this for the past week).

We'll be going again, perhaps next week. To the DLP showing, this time.

Todd

P.S. Great movie!

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#30

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5/31/03 at 10:00pm

John Miles
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Quote:

The thing about those studies is they stop and blame it on tv violence instead of looking at ALL the influences on a child during those 21 years. The conclusion was already made before the end of the study.

No duh. You think that treating your TV like a free 24-hour babysitter might have a negative influence over your kids' chances of leading a normal, healthy life?

Studies like these are worse than useless, from a scientific perspective. They inevitably start with a conclusion and some funding, and stop when they've cherry-picked enough evidence to make a case for the next round of funding.

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